Machine for capping milk-bottles.



No. 837,237. V PATENTED NOV. 27, 1906. U. S, MARKLAND.

MACHINE FOR OAPPING- MILK BOTTLES.

APPLICATION FILED 001181905 2 SHEETSSHEBT 1.

WUMMWU- PATENTED NOV. 27

U. S. MARKLAND. MACHINE FOR CAPPING MILK BOTTLES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 18. 1905-.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Z6, 0', Mark land,

atmmugs i/ NTTE srarns earner orrion.

ULYSSES S. MAR KLAND, OF BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR CAPPING WHLK"BOTTLEES.

are. 837,237.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 27, 1906.-

Application filed October 18, 1905. Serial No. 283,281.

To all; whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ULYSSES S. MARKLAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bloomington, in the county of McLean and 5 eState of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Capping Milk-Bottles, of which the following is a specification.

Myinventionhas relation to bottle stopper- I ingor capping machines generally, and particularly to that class of machines used to seal milk-hottles by inserting disks of pasteboard or cardboard in an annular groove formed in the mouths thereof.

1 5 It is the object of this invention to provide such improvements in the class of machines referred to as will not only simplify their construction, but will enhance their usefulness as well, in that they will feed the stoppen disks into place and then force them into the bottle-mouths with-greater certainty than heretofore.

The invention consists of a machine of the kind specified provided with a plurality of cap-receiving magazines open at the bottom to an extent that will allow the lowermost cap to be pushed out and fed into place for the plunger toen 'age itto push it into the mouth of the bottle that will have been put 3 in place below the pushed-out cap, the 1mproved instrumentalities being characterized by certain novel and peculiar features and advantageous modes of operation, as will he hereinafter fully descri bed, and pointed out in 3 5 the sub-joined claim.

Reference is to be had to the annexed drawings, forming a part of this spccilicat ion, in whic 1 Figure 1 is a front elevation. Fig. 2 is a 40 plan view, a part of the overbar being represented as broken away. Fig. 3 is a horizontal. sectional view taken in the plane 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical soctionalview taken in the plane 4 l of Fig. 'l. Fig. 5 is a detail in planof a pariof the ropof the machine with the magazine removed, a cap-stopper being shown by dotted lines in place;

In the disclosure of my invention to those 5 skilled in the art to which it apperfains lct (z designate the platform, which may be of any shape and composed of any material suitable for the urpose.

b designates standards extending up from the platform through holes in the ovcrhar c and having nuts (Z turned on their upper projecting screw-threaded ends.

e designates helical springs surrounding the standards betwecn'a Wire support f at the bottom and the overbar c, supporting the latter, but at the same time allowing it to be depressed by force applied downwardly on the said overbar, p

g designates magazines formed as cylinders of a diameter sufficient to allow the caps or stoppers h to fit nicely therein. The magazines are secured on guides i at their bases and have a segment of the thickness of a cap cut away from their forward lower edges, forming an opening, as at j, to permit the lowermost cap in the magaz ne to be fed forward from under those above it out through the opening 7' into position over the top or mouth of a bottle beneath a hole is, formed through the platform.

Z designates a feed-frame sup orted on the platform and adapted to be sid backward and forward thereon. The said frame is at its rear connected with the slides m. at the bottom of the magazines, upon which and' o the guides i the bottom-caps rest and by which the said bottom caps are engaged. The feed-train 0 may be moved forward by a i ever (not shown) or by pulling forward on a cord (not shown) connected therewith or by" 8 5 hand. it may be returned automatically by a spring engaged at its forward end therewith. and connected at its rear end with a stationary. partof the machine. In pulling the nod-frame forward the lowermost caps engaged by [he feed-slides m will be drawn out through the pcnings j, their lateral edges resting upon the guides 'i, and forced into the grooves formed on the inner sides of the spring-prcssml cap-holders 0, the shanks 5 of which are supporlcd and guided in the clips p of Milldlllt? form on the sides'of the plungcrs q.

The plungors are cylindrical in form and of a size to permit them to readily enter the loo mouths of the bottles to be capped, strong w helical "springs 1' surrounding and connected at their lower ends with the shanks of the pluugers g and connected at their upper ends with the under side of the overbar c. The springs 1' support the plungers and permit of thei r depression and vertical movement in unison with the overbar.

I hand, carryin down the plungers and capform, while the length or body of the arm in- With caps moved out into position over the mouths of the bottles and held at their ed es in the grooves on the inside of the capholders and the feed-slide and its connections returned to rearward osition the overbar 0 will be depressed by a ever or other suitable means, (not shown,) in the present .case by holders 0 unti the latter en age the tops of the bottles and are raised, re easing the caps held iy them, which latter will be de ressed by the plungers into the mouths of t e bottles until their edges enga e the internal annular groove aforesaid. he overbar may now be released, when it will be raised by the springs surrounding the standards, and the plungers will be carried up by their helical spring r, and the cap-holders 0 will be depressed by the springs connected with and operating upon them, all ready for another operation. A

De ending from the platform a are triangular y-shaped stiff wires p, one arm of each of which extends at its upper end to near the margin of the holes formed through the plat.-

clines downward away from said hole. This construction and arrangement of the saidwires 7) is made in order to guide the necks of the bottles into position so that their mouths will be directly under the plungers and caps held by the cap-holders 0.

The variation in the height of the bottles will be compensated for by the springs supporting the plungers. When the edges of a ca depressed by a plunger engages the an nu ar groove on the inside of a bottle, it will I hold its plunger against further descent, and another plunger not yet having forced its i cap home will be allowed to be further 5 pressed down until its cap is in final place in the mouth of the bottle. Uf course there will be as many capping n-eans provided as it may be desirable or i illustrated in this case as being deemed sufli- 'cient to explain the construction and mode of operation of'the invention. Moreover, the platform may be round if it should be thought best to arrange the capping means in a circle, and, again, if desired, the platform may be made rotary Any suitable means may be arranged in the magazines for depressing the caps-or stop ers therein, if needed. A

VV hen a cap is withdrawn by the feedslide, the cap next above that just withdrawn will be depressed so that its edges will rest upon the guides at the sides of the magazine and support it, so that when the feed-slide returns it will pass under the caps.

It is obvious that the machine as it is or with slight mechanical changes may be employed as a bottle-stoppering machine em ploying other shaped stoppers than caps commonlv used on milk-bottles.

l.claim A bottle capping or stoppering machine comprising a magazine having a lateral capdelivering opening at its lower end, a s ringupheld plunger arranged la erally o and contiguous to said magazine, a spring-upheld means adapted when depressed to actuate said plunger, spring pressed holders grooved to receive ahottlc-cap, the shanks of which.holders,areisupported and guided by clips arranged upon said plunger, and. means for withdrawing a bottom cap from said magazine and delivering it into said holders in alinement with said plunger in position for the action of the latter.

In testimony \i'hcreol l aflix my signature in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ULYSSES S. INIARKLAND.

W i in esses llonnn K. llus'roN, J. ll'Ann TAcoARr. 

